Rev 3:19

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent!"

Once again, we see God’s discipline is reserved for those He loves. We also see part of His character. He is preparing a pure bride for the final days. The Bhar people expect their brides to be pure on the wedding day, and they are familiar with the idea of paying a bride price when there is a wedding. Who will tell them that the Heavenly Bridegroom has paid the price with His blood?

Pray that the Bhar people will repent and discard their idols when they hear the voice of their Heavenly Bridegroom.

Bhar People

Imagine arranging your daughter’s wedding, putting together all the plans and organizing the details; and, oh yes, she is seven years old! This is a common practice among the Bhar people of northeastern India. Among the Bhars, a girl of 10 who is not married is disgraced.

Nearly two million Bhar people live in Bihar, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. They are believed to be of Dravidian origin, meaning that they are among the original peoples of what is now India. They have a strong caste council. The council leader’s position is hereditary and he typically deals with issues related to marriage and caste.

Most Bhars are day laborers, farmers, and, notoriously, burglars and field thieves. A child is initiated into the caste by age five or six with an ear piercing ceremony. From then on he is expected to follow caste rules regarding food.

The Bhar people are 100 per cent Hindu. They make offerings of fowl and cakes to their deities. They also offer goats, pigs, and wine to their particular deities. They make a special sacrifice of a pig to the evil spirits that they believe reside in fig trees.